earth-water Concepts inc.
PO Box 51015
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3M 4R8

info (at) waterwatch.com
(spam avoidance - to email, replace (at) with the @ symbol)

(902) 457-7010 phone
(902) 457-3934 fax

Litigation support
The highly skilled scientists at earth-water Concepts inc. have experience in court as expert witnesses and with research and regulatory agencies that is useful in defending allegations over water resource quality and quantity. Our team includes individuals who are registered Professional Geoscientists in Canada, and associate engineers, biologists and chemists. Plus, the staff of earth-water Concepts inc. have experience dealing with environmental audits and law. This combination of technical skill, professional experience, and our ability too work extremely well with lawyers, makes the scientists at earth-water Concepts inc. better able to understand and assist on matters of liability and defence that need technical advise and input.

Database system development
One of the most difficult aspects of solving water resource problems is in appropriately managing and making sense of large data sets. earth-water Concepts inc. has been helping water bottlers, industry, and municipal and private water suppliers manage and prepare water production and water quality data to meet internal and regulatory reporting needs. And we use our experience and the client’s data to develop custom tools and alternative methods for storing, viewing, and reporting hydrological information.

Education and training
A part of our cooperative approach to assignments is to transfer technical knowledge and capabilities to enhanced staff skills on the client side. This includes client training programs in such areas as water sample collection, self-audits to ensure sampling integrity, participation in pumping tests on wells, data logger management for stream gauging or proper production well system management, or collecting stream flow data needed to calibrate stream gauge stations.

Working closely with classroom teachers and local school boards, earth-water Concepts inc. has developed and successfully class-tested several science curriculum school modules covering topics in geology and groundwater for delivery to elementary school, junior high school, and high school students. The staff of earth-water Concepts inc. participate in the classroom on a regular basis by helping students make science discoveries in the class and on field trips.

Well design and construction overview
Many wells contain pumps that are too large, and overpumping can be detrimental to wells and aquifers, resulting in: borehole erosion of poorly indurated aquifers; mineral deposits on well screens due to high entry velocities, or fracture dewatering, both causing decreased hydraulic capability at the well and the aquifer; and detrimental impacts to neighbouring wells. The solution is to understand the well and aquifer based on proper data collection and interpretation while drilling, and correct execution and analysis of pumping tests to assess subsurface hydrologic characteristics and possible surface water influences. earth-water Concepts inc. can help.

We have the expertise to design new wells, plan the rehabilitation of existing wells, or supervise these activities in the field to ensure adherence to plans and proper data collection. And we design, supervise and undertake pumping tests. We maintain a selection of field equipment including water level tapes, single and multi-channel data loggers, monitoring-well packers, slug and flow testing apparatus, and down-hole video cameras with weather-proof LCD displays and digital recorders to help document wells and assess the integrity of well casings, examine well screen or borehole condition, and to log borehole geology.
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Water-quality sampling
In addition to analysis of water-quality data, earth-water Concepts inc. has in-depth knowledge and experience in the collection of groundwater and surface-water data in the field. We generate and implement sampling programs and protocol that are appropriate to the site and in accordance with appropriate Provincial and Federal Scientific Methods.

GIS services
Proper evaluation and sustainable management of natural resources require data systems that can readily integrate and analyze geological, topographic, biological, remote sensing and land use data in different formats and scales.

We have an extensive Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based mapping and data interpretation capability that we offer and use as both a regular part of our water resource assessment work, and as a stand alone service to meet specific client needs.

The use of GIS on projects both large and small can be a very cost effective alternative to traditional hard-copy map production, as it allows direct connection to any number of database and/or spatial data capture techniques. Thus, base maps can be made more accurate, and project data from different sources can be analyzed in any combination to create decision making models and custom map output that are directly relevant to the client's needs. earth-water Concepts inc.has a full data management capability that employs many advanced UNIX and MS data management computer packages on Linux workstations to assist clients in their projects, including:

• GRASS-GIS with full 3-D vector and raster (voxel support) capability, integrated remote imagery, surface water, erosion, contaminant transport, and groundwater modelling, coupled to NVIZ-3D visualization with animation and GMT mapping
• OpenOffice Calc and Base, Access, My-SQL, PostgreSQL database
• R statistical software and UNCERT geostatistical uncertainty analysis
• GrADS 4-D geospatial visualization, IBM's OpenDX data explorer, Vis-5D
• advanced UNIX drawing packages for map making and delivery.